Frank's cousin

Option 1: if 'how' was referrig to 'liquid intake' = a spluttering of juice - squeezed from oranges I might add, placed in a glass, taken to the lips and then during a sudden fit of uncontrolable laughter the sudden rapid expulsion of air mixed with intra oral orange juice created a splutering effect - since I was looking at the screen at the time, the liquid travelled at pace (more tha our squad has I might add) onto areas of screen and keyboard OPtion 2: if referring to 'how' I would forward emails from IT - by PM Hope that clears that up.

That was indeed my point;)

..well has any club with 32k seats ever finished in the top 5? see obviously the bigger stadium the more successful you are - logic innit FFS buld it now Cortese!

Yep I admit you are totally right - on those championship figures there is absolutely no requirement for a larger stadium.... cant fault your argument on that account. But I doubt NC will base go/nogo decison on feasibilty on those figures, indeed he would be stupid to do so. I suspect, given his rep for having a reasonable business brain, he will closely monitor how attendences average in a higher division - I suspect he will be interested in the fact they might be higher and although all games will probably not sell out, he will probably look at the potential attendence at gold level games. Then he will place that into perspective of his other plans - probably with his data and other feasibilty reports, conceptual business plans etc in the pot marked 'growth and sustainability' I have feck all idea what's in that pot, but lets assume he has a growth strategy and he is not just talking out his arse when it comes to the hints about his 'big plans' for the club. If that plan includes an investmnet plan to have us be more competitive in the top half of the prem, possibly in The UAFA tin pot, he will asses, the likelihood of interest from fans - how many could we sell for thsoe top games? 30k, 35k, 40k v Man U or the Arse? who knows, we dont, we dont ahve data on how many are turned away from Saints v Man U... but lets assume that's the sort of data he would look to get over the next season or 2... So is he getting closer to a feasinbilty study? well all I would say is that you dont NEED to sell 40k week in week out - you just need to sell out enough times in a season based on top games to ensure the incraese in total revenue covers the cost of investment - I didn't do an projective sums on this, and it may well prove to be impossible/stupid etc... but IFthe projections demonstrated that it WAS possible, then it leads to another question: the cost. This is increasing year on year so you dont wont to leave such a plan too late, nor do it too early... Quite simple, easy to understand in my book. ...and naturally having a big feck off stadium tells the world what a big club we are to... build it now FFS

You back and as witty as ever.... how we misssed you

I doubt we will have an operating loss of 12mil this season - so far in reported account the cash injection for equity has only been 18 il over 3 years + the original 12-14 mil 'purchase price' (pay off aviva and Barclays) - the 15 mil investment te acedmy- cost will be spread over a number of years for accounting purposes which will be allowed I guess - and not sure if the 'provsion' for teh club as alluded to by NC on Markus' death has been used up or if there is till some cash for the likes of staplewood that could be injected and coverted to equity - I guess we'll know more when this season accounts are published next year, but wont have cost us 12 mil loss.

Thanks - although this does leave a few loop holes for imaginative accounting....

I will ask the question again... instead of encouraging 5000 fans to borrow £1000 each on expensve credit cards... (face palm thing) - why not ask the 220000 of the best fans in the world for £100 - easy 25 mil - club saved... or am I being naive and in reality most of em dont give a flying fec about the club really... was just nice to see a trophy?

Well I kindsa likes the story of the of the pompey pluckey best fans MYTH... now considering within a few weeks the club will be gone, they will indeed be the best fans in world ... of a club that does actually exist... so its kind of self fulfilling in a way... bit like thsoe saddo who bought Harchester tops from sky... maybe pompey can become everyones favourite mythical side... or maybe not

You need to go back to school if you think 27k/32k is 2/3s -its actually 84% - 2/3s would be 66%. back of the classs

Steve, do you have a handle on how the whole issue of infrastruvcture investment is handled - eg say a gate + commercial rev + TV money is 50mil or operating costs and overheads are 49.99 mil, but the owner invests 25mil in a new stand as a gift in exchnage for more equity, can this still be done under the new rules?

To be fair Alps, does sound a little strange - the issue of promotion or not does need to be placed in some sort of 'life' context - and when it is, its hardly 'devastating'?

Alps its just you state as fact that we wont go up if in the playoffs - just as many folk said Barcelona would **** on Chelsea - yes teh odds would against us goven the disspointment and difficulty in lifting the squad, yes teh opposition is tough, but no one is unbeatable and nothing is pre-ordained - thats why a few are having a go.

STOP IT I do NOT think we will lose, odds on that better than WHU lossing to Hull - YES anything can happen, freak goals, beach balls, bad ref decisons, whatever, and you cant plan for that, all we need to do is play our game, relax and take them apart as we have done to teams more often than not this season. COYR

Once agina my work computer has suffered a liquid intake.... I will be sending you the nasty emails I will get from IT

I feel fricken ecstatic! Look where we were when Markus and NC took over, look at the table now, today and tell me you are not fricken happy and impressed by all that has hapened in the last 3 years. For Maurkus's legacy, for the graft and drive (often meeting some resistence) of NC, for the staff that have lived through it, For NIGE who has just been a phenomemnal prescence with his infectious enthusiasm, for teh players who have worked tehir nuts off getting fitter and improving and ensuring that spirit of togetherness is unyielding, but above all for the long suffering fans - WE DESERVE where we are and we deserve to go up... we now have an opportunity over 90 mins to show it against a side who deserve our respect for the way they have tried to deal with their own crisis, yet have been doomed by their desire to avoid extra debt... we will win, we will celebrate and we will be happy. As a football fan, last game of the season promotion opportunities are rare, they should be embraced and above all enjoyed - we shoudl feel privalaged that we wrea in this position not scared, so come on, put the nerves away and enjoy the tension and buold up - its why we are fans afterall

This Connonlly was instrumental in the first few games whilst we put teams to the sword with an element of surprize, excellent link up with Llalana and lambert and Guly as mentioned and nice intricate passing as we carved open defences. Later in teh seaosn when sides had worked out that we were actually a good side and closed the back door, I think his lack of pace showed, and since injuries shas not had teh run of games to get back to full match fitness. Lee - was just really coming into his own - added a new dimension - guoile and pace and was gelling with Lambo... I really believe had we had him in the side for teh run, we would have been champions as his industry and falir gave us that extra bite up front and would have unlocked Reading, and possibly seen us get something at Balckpool even without Rickie. Shame, but thems the breaks.

Think we are due to give someone a spanking anyway - its been a while since the number of chances created has yeilded the appropriate number of goals for the lads - I think Coventry will be put to the sword - dont know why, but just have that feeling - last time I had this feeling was before we spanked Spurs in the cup in Jan 2003 ....on BBC 1

Lots of (happy) clappy things - top post Sir!

True, I think the term commonly used in the media during such times is perhaps ' he was ill advised' to take on the job. He is obviously not ready, I dont think he stood a cats in hell's chance of getting the overpaid mercenaries to play for him or the club - when they could be bothered they still had enough quality they could not afford to beat the drop depsite the -10, but they just could not be arsed, depsite receiving hero status for staying (to safeguard their ridiculous contracts). I am glad they would have just about survived without the -10, as its the only way it became a punishment, and despite what tehy are crying about, so far its been bloody lenient. I think many of their fans have still not recognised that even if sold for 5 mi, at that level, they have not chance of getting a CVA agreed - and so exiting woithout one + second admin in 2 years is going to see more points deductions for next season - a welcome to L1 surprise awaits them. I suspect that they may as DP says find the FL 'ignore' the unpaid old CVA as it stands and not dock points for that as their rules dont allow for it (it being unprecedented and all), and its easier for them, but they can not ignore an exit from admin without a CVA in place - thats a min of -10 or even -17 etc..... thats assuming chinney keeps em going as I can see anyone else on the horizon... Did they not understand the concept of 'Icarus'?

Between 1999-2004/5 season it was rare you saw any empty seats in the prem games at all clubs, wth just the 'minor' games have a few gaps - NOw yu see gaps at all clubs - someties large - combination of a couple of things realy, ticket prices high during a recession and alot of folk strating to be a bit disillusioned with the way the game is so dominated by cash IMHO. I still remember what is probably or highest unofficial SMS gate in that last minute organied friendly against Bayern Munich when they let folk stand on te steps and around the pitch - must have been clser to 33K in all. What w ehave to realise is that (although some seem to think its 'bad') is that there are many fans who enjoy going with their kids, old man etc andso its not just paying for your own ticket, but 2, 3 or 4 - or who do you leave at home? So its can easily be a £100+ just for tickets for a home game -so I would say a 25-26k average in the second tier is pretty respectable. ...and Wembley in a final is always special now matter what teh comp so folk save and make sacrafices elsewhere.

Dont thinnk Appy will mind being a gay icon - its the slightly camp army in the background that are 'backing him up' that add to the effect

I feel the need to report you as I have now spilled my chilled middle class glass of sauvignon blanc over my work laptop - and have pulled a muscle between two ribs.

Even when we regularly wasted you several years ago, I never realy bought into 'bragging rights' based on a one off derby, but especially when there were 50 league places between us and about a squillion pounds in wages - the fact that we held our own in that cup game against your over paid mercenaries you forget to mention - but anyway, bragging rights tend to come with league position and , ...oh i dont know, size of club, quality of infrastructure etc - you know the things on which a club can build and look forward to a decent future rather than 90 minutes in a local derby where anything can happen - as we saw a few weeks ago, couple of decent strikes against the run of play and you base your entire footballing satisfaction on a couple of draws.. whilst the 'temple' crumbles - I suspect there are far more folk in portsmouth looking forward to the clubs demise and the eventual closure and sell off of the ground... all the pikeys standing ready with their vans to pickup the scrap from the roof, although I suspect they would struggle to find a buyer for the fat filled pipes. The only reason why there are some naive souls within football that are indded offering some sympathy is that they are simply not in poscession of all the facts, most fans outside Southampton believe you paid of your debts from the last administration... so you get the patronizing sympathy simply because of ignorance of the real state of affairs. If those at Coventry and Doncaster and others who have spent the last few season struggling financially and played the kids despite what it meant for league position + the other fans of all clubs knew how you continued to screw the system, the tax man the local business and charities, ..... and did it again whilst others did the decent thing, I suspect most would soon change their tune.... I have never diespised any club or its fans - I do however despise what your club has done, and the fans that are so deluded that they still defend it.... its really rather simple

... sadly there will be some ignorant folk who believ it to be worth it - getting tehmselves into debt to pay a part of someone elses... truely you could not make it up.